Insulator cap



May 17, 1938. W 2,117,381

INSULATOR CAP Filed Dec. 22, 1936 "I IIHE M I llllli L. Ward Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to insulators and particularly to insulator caps such as are used on the wooden pins of telegraph and telephone poles, and the general object of the invention is the provision of a cap so constructed that the telephone or telegraph wire may be readily engaged with the cap without the necessity of wrapping the insulator with a tie wire to hold the telephone or telegraph cable or wire in place.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which is so constructed that it is rigidly attached to the glass insulator cap, and it is further so constructed that the wire or cable may be readily inserted by using a lifting hook without the necessity of climbing the poles.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

2 Figure 1 is a side elevation of an insulator cap with my device applied thereto and shown in section.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

5 Figure 3 is a top plan view of my device separate from the insulator.

Referring to the drawing, 10 indicates a glass or porcelain insulator cap constructed in any usual manner for use on the pins projecting from the cross arms of telephone or telegraph or other wire supporting poles. This insulator A preferably is formed with a circumferentially extending recess ll. Disposed within this recess II and held rigidly in place thereon is a ring or band l2 which may be split at one point and then welded, as at l3, to enable the band to be placed upon the cap.

Preferably formed in one piece with this band is a downwardly and then upwardly curved hook-shaped portion [4 which extends upward and then outward to form a lip l5. This hookshaped portion may have any desired width. Also formed integral with the band is a resilient keeper 16 which extends downward from the top of the band and then outward into close approximation to the inner face of the front of the hook M. The band l2 and the hookshaped portion I4-l5 are preferably made of relatively heavy metal so that the band will not tear out nor the hook-shaped portion give under strain. The keeper l6, however, is, as before stated, resilient. Preferably the lateral edges of the hook I 4 are bent downward at I! so as not to chafe or cut the wires or cables as the wires or cables are drawn through the hook-shaped portion.

It will be seen that with this construction, the wire or cable may be readily disposed above the keeper and then either by the weight of 5 the wire or by the exertion of force, the wire may be forced downward past the extremity of the keeper into the bottom of the hook-shaped portion whereupon the keeper will spring upward again. The resilience of the keeper I6 is 10 necessary, not only to let the Wire or cable into its place, but it is also needed when the wire is being pulled uphill or when the wire is, for any reason, being pulled upward.

It is to be understood that the keeper I6 might 15 be welded to the band or may be integral therewith as illustrated in Fig. 1. Where the band and the hook I4 are formed of relatively heavy metal, the keeper 16 might be formed of relatively lighter resilient metal and welded to the 20 band as before stated.

This device eliminates entirely the necessity of telephone and telegraph men binding the wires or cables to the insulators by means of wire ties and also eliminates the necessity of 25 climbing poles to attach the wires. With my device, the wires may be lifted by poles provided with books, the wire or cable being passed over the lip I5 and the weight of the wire or cable causing it to pass the keeper l6. This device 30 may be very strongly made, is rigidly attached to the insulator cap, and forms an extremely convenient means for engaging telephone or telegraph wires or cables therewith r What is claimed is:

1. An insulator cap circumferentially recessed, encircling band of metal disposed in said recess, the band being formed to provide a hook extending directly downward from the band, then outward and upward, the band being formed immediately above the hook with a downwardly and outwardly extending resilient keeper extending downward from the upper margin of the band and then extending outward and into 45 the bill of the hook.

2. An insulator cap circumferentially recessed, an encircling band of metal disposed in said recess, the band being formed to provide a hook integral with and extending directly downward from the lower edge of the band, then outward and upward, the band immediately above the hook being formed with a downwardly and outwardly extending resilient keeper having its extremity disposed to extend into the bill of the ward, outward and upward to form a hook and the upper lug extending downward over the face of the band and then outward to engage against the inner face of the upwardly turned hook to form a downwardly and outwardly ex- 5 tending resilient keeper.

LEONARD WARD. 

